Circulator.



N. M. LA FORTE.

CIRCULATQR. APPLICATION FILED APR- 7. 1915.

Patented Nov. 30, i915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

muMN a.

GU01 we N. M. LA PORTE.

CIRCULATOR.

APPLICATION man APR. 7. 1915.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

NORBERT M. LA POR'IE, OF BALTIMORE,

COOLING SYSTEMS COMPANY, A CORPORATION MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE MOTOR 0F MARYLAND.

CIRCULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

Application filed April 7, 1915. l Serial No. 19,674.

use with marine or even stationary engines.

All the various types of internal combustion engines which are water-cooled, are provided with some means for passing the water through the system so that the water jacket which surrounds the combustion chamber is provided with a more or less continuous supply of comparatively cool water and the water heated in this jacket is removed either to be cooled and returned or replaced by a fresh supply of cold water. In automobiles,-

owing to the impossibility of securing a continuous supply of water, the hot water from the jacket is cooled by passing it through a radiator, and returned to the water jacket at the lower temperature. In some instances, the movement of the water is efi'ected by gravity; that is, the system is so arranged that the heated water rises from the water jacket to the top of the radiator and as it is cooled, passes down through the radiator and back to the water jacket in turn displacing the water in the jacket which, being heated, is of less specific gravity. In this system, the regulation of water and, therefore, the cooling effect varies with the heat developed, but particularly in warm weather and when the engine is working against a heavy load so that a large amount of heat is developed, it generally proves insufficient with the amount of radiating surface ordinarily provided.

The only alternative for the gravity or thermo-siphonic system, at the present time,

' is the mechanical pump connected to the motor to run at a speed directly proportionate to the speed of the motor so that thecooling effect, while it may be so determined as to be sufficient under the severest tests, is not proportionate to the heating eflect and is apt to be excessive at high speeds on a level or on descending an incline when comparatively little fuel is being consumed. It is also an established fact that these pumps, when moving the water at a high speed, use up a large amount of power. In some instances, the loss amounts to several horse power.

To overcome these difficulties, the applicant has produced a circulating system, one form of which is described in his co-pending application, Serial No. 87 6,18 L. This comprises a nozzle and means for leading a portion of the exhaust gases to the nozzle which is in the circulatingsystem and is turned in the direction of thermo-siphonic circulation. This device, on account of the variation of the exhaust pressure with the quantity of fuel burned and hence theheat generated, operates to give a circulation proportionate to the heating effect and is amply sufficient to prevent over-heating under all circumstances, and operates without loss of power.

An important difficulty with all the systems in use is that incident to excessive cooling at times, as in cold weather, in starting, running on a level and down hill, and while these difficulties are reduced to the minimum in the present device owing to the fact that the circulating effect is proportionate to the consumption of fuel and air, this is still an important point, though ordinarily it affects the efficiency rather than the convenience of operation. To so control the circulation as to prevent the circulating device from causing excessive cooling at any time, is the object of this invention. The device consists of means for regulating the flow of exhaust gases to the nozzle so that the circulating effect is controlled by the temperature of the motor.

In the form of the invention shown, there is a thermally operated valve which, below a fixed, predetermined temperature, serves to close the gas passage and eliminates all circulating effect other than that incident to gravity, or the thermo-siphonic effect, as we have termed it. At the temperature fixed, which should be near that of maximum etliciency, the valve is opened automatically and the exhaust gases permitted to flow to the nozzle accelerating the flow of water In the manner described in my previous application, giving a circulation which is nearly proportionate to the exhaust, and therefore, to the heating efiect. These and other features of my invention are described and claimed herein.

- An internal combustion engine and circulating system to which the device of my invention in its preferred form has been applied, are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l'is an elevation of the engine and radiator, to which my invention has been applied, certain parts being broken away for convenience in illustration; Fig. 2 is a convenient form of thermal control; Fig. 3 shows a non-return valve for usein the gas pipe; Fig. 4 shows a similar form of the device, the drawing being a longitudinal, central section through a radiator connection provided with a gas nozzle turned in the direction. of circulation; and Fig. 5 shows the upper radiator fitting with thermal valve attached.

Referring to the drawings by numerals; the .engine 1 is jacketed at 2 as to the cylinder heads and combustion chambers. This jacket is connected by means of a pipe and suitable fittings 3 to the bottom of the radiator 4 and" likewise the top of the jacket is connected at 5 to the top of the radiator. In automobile practice, these connections are ordinarily made conveniently removable, and it is customary to use at the top a single rubber sleeve, known as a hose connection 6, between the jacket fitting 7 and the radiator fitting 8, and at the bottom to use two similar rubber sleeves 9 with an intermediate pipe 10, the sleeves 9 serving to connect the intermediate pipe 10 with a bottom fitting 11 on the radiator and to the fitting 12 on the water jacket. In the previous application I have shown the pipe 10 as supplied with a gas nozzle 14, turned in the direction of circulation and supplied with exhaust gases by means of a pipe 15 leading to the exhaust manifold at 16. In the pipe 15, I have shown a non-return valve 17 but any suitable means may be used to prevent back flow of the water from the circulating system to the exhaust manifold, and in the previous application, in addition to the valve, I have shown the gaS pipe raised intermediately above the level of the water to provide for this contingency.

In the previous application, the pipe 10 is shown as reduced in cross-section, intermediately, adjacent the nozzle, but it is within the scope of the invention in both instances to use a straight pipe 18, as shown in Fig. 4 herein, likewise provided with an exhaust gas nozzle 14. j s

I have already pointed out the fact that in all circulating systems for internal combustion engines, there is, under certain conditions, a very considerable loss of efficiency due to excessive cooling. This is not when the cooling effect is the greatest, but when there is no necessity for cooling as in starting and when the engine is running at low throttle in cold weather, and to avoid this loss, in the present instance I have provided thermally operated means for regulating the flow of gases through the pipe leading from the exhaust to the gas nozzle. This is shown in the form .of a thermally actuated valve 19, shown in detail in Fig. 2, so placed as to be subject to the temperature of the water in the cylinder jacket and, preferably, so placed as to be subject to the highest temperature which this water attains, as at the forward end of the jacket, near the upper outlet. In fact, it is within the scope of my invention to form a substitute fitting 7 which may be supplied with the valve ready to be inserted by merely changing the fitting.

In the form of the invention shown, the thermally actuated means for controlling the passage through the gas supply pipe 15 consists of an expansible receptacle 20 containing a volatile liquid and subjected to the temperature of the water in the jacket, and a valve 21 in the gas pipe normally closed but adapted to open as the liquid 22 vaporizes or expands. To accomplish this, in the form of the invention shown, there is a pin 23 at the top of the receptacle 20 and engaging the valve 21, which is shown in the form of a ball, resting on a seat 24, which has an outlet aperture 25 normally closed by the valve, 5. e., the ball 21, when permitted to do so, will rest 'bv gravity on the opening 25. The inlet from the gas pipe leading from the exhaust is shown at 26. When the ball is lifted even slightly, the passage is free for the clearance 27 around the ball 21, in the form of the invention shown, is equal in area to the inlet passage 26 and therefore a very slight lift of the ball is sufficient to permit a free flow of the gas. Thus in starting with the engine cold, there will be no circulation until the engine has been running for a time sufiicient to permit a free flow of the gas. Thus in starting with the engine cold, there will be no circulation until the engine has been running for a time sufficient to heat the water in the jacket and cause it to be moved by gravity and not until a comparatively high temperature is reached, will the valve 21 be opened to permit a free flow of the gas and a correspondingly free circulation, this point being determined by the nature of the liquid in the container 20. In the form of the invention shown, the thermally actuated device is seated in a hollow plug 28 either in the jacket or in the top front fitting 7. The lower end of the expansible receptacle or bellows 20 extends downward through an opening 29 in the plug so that it comes in contact with the cooling water and the liquid 22 within the bellows therefore takes the temperature of the water. To accommodate the.bellows, the vertical tube 30 is sweated into the plug 28 and this tube carries at its upper end a fitting 31 containing the valve with screw 'or similar connections 32 and 33 for convenience in joining the sections of the gas pipe.

31, and at its-lower end, taking a bearing on the top of the bellows.

In Fig. .1, at 36, I have shown a fan for drawing the air through the radiator and also for causing a circulation of air about the gas pipe 15. \Vhile the use of a fan with this circulating system at ordinary temperatures is found to be unnecessary, the extra cooling effect. obtained in that Way under especially trying conditions of load and temperature may be desirable, and the fan is found to have an important effect in that the temperature of the gases, which is necessarily high at the point Where they are removed from the exhaust manifold, is, by the use of the fan in connection With the pipe 15 of small cross-sectional area, reduced to almost the temperature of the air at the point where the gases are introduced" into the circulating system. This is important in that the heating effect which might be supposed to result-from the introduction of hot gases into the cooling water, is in fact entirely eliminated.

I have thus described specifically and in detail an apparatus embodying my invention in the preferred form; however, the specific terms herein are used in their descripti 'e rather than in their limiting sense and the scope of the invention is defined in the claims.

I claim 1. A water cooling system for internal combustion engines consisting of a Water jacket, a radiator, connections arranged to give thermo-siphonic circulation, including a pipe connecting the radiator to the .Water jacket. a nozzle for exhaust gases in said pipe turned in the direction of thermosiplionic circulation, an exhaust outlet for the engine, a tube leading a portion of the exhaust gases from said outlet to said nozzle,

and thermally operated means, controlled by the temperature of the engine, for varying the opening of the gas tube.

2. A water cooling system for internal combustion engines consisting of a Water jacket, a radiator and suitable connections including a pipe, a nozzle for exhaust gases in said pipe turned in the direction of circulation, an exhaust outlet for the engine, means for leading a portion of the exhaust gases from said outlet to said nozzle, a thermally expansible member which is subject to the heat of the engine, and means actuated by said-member for varying the supply of gas led to the nozzle.

3. A Water cooling system for internal combustion engines consisting of a Water jacket, a radiator, and suitable connections including a pipe, a nozzle for exhaust gases In said pipe turned in the direction ofcirculation, means for leading a portion of the exhaust gases from the engine to said nozzle, and a thermally actuated valve for controlling the supply ofga-ses to said nozzle, the valve being controlled by the temperature of the engine.

4. A Water cooling system for internal combustion engines consistin of a Water jacket, a radiator and connections arranged to give thermo-siphonic circulation includmg a pipe connecting the bottom of the radiator to the Water jacket, a nozzle for exhaust gases in said pipe turned in the direction of circulation, an exhaust outlet for the engine, a tube leading a portion of the exhaust gases from the exhaust outlet to said nozzle, and thermally actuated means, controlled by the temperature of the Water in the jacket, for determining the opening of the gas tube.

5. A Water cooling system for internal combustion engines consisting of a Water jacket, a radiator and connections arranged to give thermo-siphonic circulation including a pipe connecting the bottom of the radiator to the Water jacket, a gas nozzle in said pipe turned in the direction of circulation, means for leading a portion of the exhaust gases from the engine to said nozzle,

thermally actuated means, controlled by the temperature of the Water in the j aoket, for determining the supply of gases to the nozzle, and means for preventing back-flow of Water through said tube.

6.. A Water cooling system for internal combustion engines consisting of a Water jacket, a radiator, and suitable connections from the water jacket to the radiator, a nozzle for exhaust gases in the Water space and a tube to lead the exhaust gases from the engine to the nozzle Where they are released assisting the circulation of the cooling Water through the system, a thermally actuated valve in said tube, and means for controlling the valve in response to the temperature of the engine.

Signed by me at Baltimore, Maryland, this 6th day of April, 1915. I

NORBERT M. LA FORTE.

Witnesses: V

ZELLA KUHN, ALIoE G. DONEGAN. 

